One more World Cup for speed skaters before Championship season begins
World Cup speed skating will reach its finale this weekend with championship season ahead for Canada’s top skaters.
Denny Morrison and Laurent Dubreuil are among the 15-member squad who will compete at World Cup stop #6 in Heerenveen, Netherlands on Saturday and Sunday.
SEE ALSO: Morrison, Blondin win World Cup medals in Norway
Morrison is coming off his first medal of the season (and 40th of his career), a bronze in the 1500m last week in Hamar, Norway while Laurent Dubreuil is constructing a break-out season with four World Cup medals in the 500m. Dubreuil also has the fastest 500m time (34.50) in the world this season.
Denny Morrison joined Instagram recently
Other notables on the nine-person men’s team are Olympians Jamie Gregg (racing his first WC of the season) and Gilmore Junio. Olympians Kali Christ and Marsha Hudey lead six women, including Jessica Gregg (Jamie’s sister) an Olympic silver medallist in short track who has switched to the long track game.
Some of the Canadians at this weekend’s World Cup will stick around the Dutch town for World Single Distance Championships in Heerenveen from February 12th to 15th.
Morrison and Dubreuil are also on this team. These will also be held at the Thialf, one of speed skating’s most famous ovals. By the end of the season the Thialf will have hosted three major speed skating events, including two World Cups and World Single Distance Champs.
Photo: Thialf Facebook
Ivanie Blondin, having the strongest season on the women’s team, will not race this weekend but will skate the 3000m, 5000m, and mass start at World Single Distance Champs a competition where all speed skating events are contested. Blondin has six World Cup medals in 2014-15.
Ivanie Blondin in the mass start in the 2014-15 World Cup season (photo: ISU).
Championship season will continue in February beyond the Netherlands with ISU World Sprint Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan from February 28th to March 1st. This year’s ISU World Allround Champs are in Calgary, March 7th and 8th. There is also an ISU World Cup Finale in Erfurt, Germany to be held March 21-22.
